Whitetail Deer Hunting - Missing the Big One

Whitetail deer hunting is great sport that helps to control the animal population. Unfortunately, I tend to miss the opportunity to help out. I've been able to find new and incredibly interesting ways to miss the buck of a lifetime.

The enclosed stand:

Each year I take the time to get my stand ready. Sometimes I'll even build new stand before whitetail deer hunting season opens up, so I have more options. Last year I decided to build a nice, fully enclosed stand. Winters are brutal in Wisconsin, so I wanted to at least get out of the wind and snow. I spent about a month rounding up supplies.

When it was all said and done, I made a six by six fully enclosed stand with plenty of windows. It sits on the ground, not in a tree, because the area was logged not too long ago. I didn't have the money to buy windows, so I scrounged up old ones from my friends. My stand was ugly, but nice.

On opening day of whitetail deer hunting season I made my way to the stand. I opened up the door and sat in my nice comfy lawn chair I had taken up earlier. It was really nice. For once I was out of the wind and snow. I was comfortable! Maybe too comfortable.

I fell asleep. No big deal, I've done it plenty of times. I woke up, looked around a little and was surprised to see a nice ten pointer not more than twenty feet from the stand. He saw me looking around, and took off. No shots fired. No rack on the wall this whitetail deer hunting season.

I dropped something:

Before my nice enclose stand, I'd spend my whitetail deer hunting time up in a small tree stand. I have plenty of them, but they are all small and open. Oh, they have safety rails and nice ladders, but they are small.

Whitetail deer hunting is always more bearable when you have something to eat or drink with you. I don't drink coffee, so I take a can of pop or two up with me. I keep it in my coat pocket so it doesn't freeze in the Wisconsin cold.

One day in particular I was really thirsty. I was on my second can of pop by 10, slurping and sipping so loud no animal was in site. I like to set my pop can on the safety rail in front of me. Well, as luck would have it, when I tried to grab it, it fell down to the ground.

It made a large crashing noise, crunching the leaves as it tumbled. I turned my head to the side, in disgust. What's that?

I watched a nice sized one jump up from it's bed in the thicket about 25 yard away. Stunned, I didn't even grab my rifle as I watched it waive bye to me with it's tail. I'm guessing it was there the whole time. Whitetail deer hunting is full of surprises.

Look before you climb:

It was nice crisp Wisconsin day, right in the middle of whitetail deer hunting season. Like any other day, I made my way to my stand. I'm not one of the guys that likes to go out in the dark, I wait until legal shooting time to begin my hike in.

As I approached my stand, I paid special attention to the swamp on my side. I've seen plenty of them in there each whitetail deer hunting season. I made it to my tree stand, but I didn't see anything in the swamp.

I unloaded my rifle and hooked it to the tow rope. Safety first, you know. I climbed up the first few steps and finally decided that I should look around a little. You can imagine how this story goes.

Not more than 40 yards away stands a nice doe. It was looking right at me. It was watching me. It must have wondered how someone could be so stupid. When we made eye contact, it took off. There was no way to get the gun off the tow rope, loaded, and get off the ladder to make a shot. Whitetail deer hunting has it's way of bringing out the worst in me.

Over the last 22 years I would guess that I've fallen asleep in my stand over 200 times. I never get enough sleep, so it's almost like catching up. A morning nap, a noon nap, followed by an evening nap. I can't count how many times I awoken to the sound of a buck or doe running away, only to miss my chance. Whitetail deer hunting probably isn't the best time for sleeping.

Knocking over the pop isn't the only time I've done something like this. I've knocked over deer scents, rattling antlers and a whole slew of other things. I've seen the tail flags and heard the snorts and running immediately following plenty of times as well. Whitetail deer hunting is easier when you aren't a clumsy person.

I've sneezed, coughed, and farted my way to unsuccessful whitetail deer hunting seasons. I cannot even count how many time the animals snorted after I did.

On the final day of the whitetail deer hunting season for one year in particular, I had a really nice mess up. It was about 15 years ago now. I hadn't gotten anything yet, but my father had a nice buck. I was so excited to finally see a deer! It was a doe, but it was the last day of whitetail deer hunting season. I shot, and I got it!! Ohâ¦.there was a really nice 8 pointer about 20 feet behind the doe. No more tags, no buck for me.

Whitetail deer hunting season is a lot of fun for me. It's a good time to spend with family and friends, which is really what it's all about. For me, it's almost like a manufactured holiday. I miss plenty of deer with various screw ups, but I always have a good time. I guess that what whitetail deer hunting is all about.